The timing of the joint United States and Israeli air strikes on Tehran has become a focal point of international diplomatic scrutiny, particularly regarding the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel.

Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has clarified that the decision to launch "Operation Epic Fury" was purely a matter of emergent operational opportunity. According to Azar, the specific window for the strike only manifested after Prime Minister Modi had concluded his two-day state visit on February 26.

"It was an operational opportunity that came up only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left. Of course, during the conversations with PM Modi during the visit, we talked about regional development, but we couldn't have actually shared something that we didn't know," he told The Indian Express.

He emphasised that while regional developments were discussed during the high-level talks in Tel Aviv, the intelligence and tactical alignment required for the Tehran strikes had not yet crystallised at that time.

The logistical timeline provided by the Israeli envoy suggests that the final determination to proceed with the offensive occurred roughly 48 hours after the Indian delegation's departure. Formal approval from the Israeli security cabinet was reportedly secured on the morning of Saturday, 28 February.

This sequence of events appears designed to decouple India’s diplomatic engagement from the subsequent military escalation, as the two nations had just elevated their relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership" and signed 17 separate bilateral agreements.

Operation Epic Fury, a massive joint military effort between Washington and Jerusalem, targeted multiple Iranian urban centres following the collapse of nuclear negotiations and intelligence reports suggesting a resurgence in Tehran's enrichment activities.

The strikes resulted in a devastating human toll, with over 700 fatalities reported. Central to the operation’s impact was the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed when the strikes hit his personal compound. The incident also claimed the lives of several members of his immediate family, including his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.

In the immediate aftermath of the bombardment, the Middle East descended into further chaos as Iran launched a retaliatory missile barrage. These strikes impacted several locations across the Gulf, including major hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Bahrain.

The escalation has drawn a sharp response from US President Donald Trump, who dismissed the possibility of renewed de-escalation talks, stating that the window for Iran to avoid a full-scale conflict has effectively closed.

Ambassador Azar attributed the success of the operation to a long-term, multi-billion-dollar investment in intelligence and military technology specifically tailored to penetrate Iranian air defences.

He noted that Israel had spent years mapping the Iranian regime’s military machinery and identifying the precise locations of its decision-makers. This capability, combined with sophisticated missile defence systems, was developed to counter the threat of ballistic missiles fired from both Iran and its regional proxies.

The coordination of this complex mission was reportedly facilitated by the framework of the Abraham Accords. These normalisation agreements allowed for unprecedented military and surveillance cooperation between Israel, several Arab states, and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Azar indicated that while coordination with the US had been ongoing for an extended period, the "right moment" for the strike remained unpredictable until the very day of the operation.

The death of Ayatollah Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, has left a profound power vacuum in Tehran. Initially, an interim Leadership Council—consisting of Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei—was formed to manage the Supreme Leader's duties.

However, the transition of power appears to be moving toward a more permanent solution. Recent reports from Israeli media suggest that the Assembly of Experts has already moved to elect Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the second-eldest son of the late leader, as the next Supreme Leader of Iran.

NDTV / Indian Express